Many digital pen and paper systems have been proposed. One that is in use is the Anoto system, which can be implemented using a device such as the Logitech 102 pen, available from Logitech of 6505 Kaiser Drive, Fremont, Calif. 94555, USA. Generally, using such technology, the pen senses a position determining pattern that has been printed onto a page and an evaluation of the pen's position, and movements, is made using data collected by the pen.
WO 03/046708 discloses a system of this kind. In the known Anoto type arrangements, the pen is connected by a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or wirelessly to a processing device such as a mobile telephone or a personal computer. The processing device receives data from the pen and can identify the document which has been marked by the pen.
This can result in the processing device determining information about how the document should be handled. This information may identify an application, perhaps stored on the processing device or held remotely, which enables the information from the pen to be processed.
Current instantiations of digital pen and paper technology are passive in that the pen is only able to determine its location on a page and store information relating to what has been written at the location.
Known digital pen and paper technology lacks the facility to prompt a user as a result of data generated during the operation of the pen and its interaction with application programs.